Pope Francis: Who Am I to Judge Gays?

Makes big statement on flight back from Latin America

(Newser)
–
Pope Francis continues to make news by making waves: for assuring the world that atheists can be good people, for blessing leather-clad Harley riders, and, now, for softening the church's position on gay priests. With the ink barely dry on yet another big news moment (he racked up the No. 2 most-attended papal address on record yesterday), Pope Francis boarded the papal plane and gave his first news conference during his overnight flight back to the Vatican. This is the line getting a good bit of attention:

"Who am I to judge a gay person of goodwill who seeks the Lord? You can't marginalize these people."

The answer came in response to question about a Vatican monsignor who is close to the pope and was said to have had gay sexual relationships years ago; Francis notes that an inquiry into these claims "found nothing." The Wall Street Journal and CBS News stack his comments on gay priests next to previous ones to come from the Vatican (which called homosexuality a "disorder") and Pope Benedict (who in 2005 signed a document stating that men with "deep-seated" homosexuality should not enter the priesthood). One other talking point: On the question of women as priests, Francis gave a firm no, saying the topic was "definitely" settled by Pope John Paul II. Yet, he added, "we cannot limit the role of women in the Church to altar girls or the president of a charity, there must be more."

Pope Francis disembarks from the plane after landing from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, at Ciampino's military airport, on the outskirts of Rome, Monday, July 29, 2013.
(AP Photo/Riccardo De Luca)

What a bastard! Actually going by the examples and teachings of Jesus I see? What's frightening is the number of Catholics who consider that "radical"...

Vincebus

Jul 29, 2013 4:13 PM CDT

Nobody!!! Yer probably 1 yer self~ it sucks yer tryin to propagate it

julianpenrod

Jul 29, 2013 3:51 PM CDT

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This may cause this not to be
printed or to be removed, but, as always, the agenda to promote
homosexuality as normal rests on the fraudulent representation of the
practice as being about “who you choose to love”.
In points of fact, homosexuality
has qualities of a self destructive obsessive sexual perversion. It
displays levels of self hatred, self destructive behavior, massive
drug use, fatalism, mindless infidelity and compulsive soulless
promiscuity completely alien to the heterosexual community. And,
even among individuals, the forms of the practice are at best
malignant. The two forms of sex in homosexuality, anal and oral, are
both against the interest of at least one individual. Anal sex in
homosexuality is extremely painful and physically harmful for the
recipient. That is not how you treat someone you claim to love! And
oral sex, as generally practiced, satisfies only one individual,
rather than both simultaneously. And no form of sexual contact in
homosexuality allows eye to eye connection! That's a common quality
of sociopathic murderers, that they can't stand to see the eyes of
the other, they can't extend to include others, to care about them!
Homosexuality is a form of
depravity and to treat it as something that can be accommodated
within the religion automatically disqualifies Francis as Pope.
Currently, the Catholic Church is without a leader.

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